Best Hyundai Years to Buy by Model
The best Hyundai years to buy: the 2019 Sonata, 2009 Tucson, 2022 Sonata Hybrid, 2017 Veloster, 2025 Palisade, 2025 Kona and 2025 Venue — the cleanest federal complaint records for each model. Years to skip include the 2011 Sonata and 2016 Tucson. Based on 31,939 NHTSA owner complaints across 9 Hyundai models, rated model year by model year.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints, recall campaigns & service bulletins · Updated 2026-11-07 · By CarWhere Research · How we rate model years
Best Hyundai years, model by model
| Model | Best years | Years to skip | Years on record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Sonata | 2019 | 2011201220132014201520162017 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Hyundai Tucson | 200820092010 | 2016201720182019202220232025 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | No standout year yet | 2008201320142017202220232024 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Hyundai Elantra | No standout year yet | 201020112012201320172020 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Hyundai Sonata Hybrid | 2022 | 20122016 | 15 (2011–2025) |
| Hyundai Veloster | 20172020 | 2012201320152016 | 14 (2012–2025) |
| Hyundai Palisade | 20242025 | 202020212022 | 7 (2020–2026) |
| Hyundai Kona | 20242025 | 201820192020 | 9 (2018–2026) |
| Hyundai Venue | 20242025 | 202020212022 | 7 (2020–2026) |
Verdicts are each model’s own, rated against that model’s history; counts behind them are raw federal filings, not adjusted for sales volume.
The cleanest year for each Hyundai model
2019 Hyundai Sonata: 153 NHTSA owner complaints on record · Best Sonata years →
2009 Hyundai Tucson: 18 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2008, 2009 and 2010 · Best Tucson years →
2022 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: 19 NHTSA owner complaints on record · Best Sonata Hybrid years →
2017 Hyundai Veloster: 49 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2017 and 2020 · Best Veloster years →
2025 Hyundai Palisade: 0 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2024 and 2025 · Best Palisade years →
2025 Hyundai Kona: 0 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2024 and 2025 · Best Kona years →
2025 Hyundai Venue: 0 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2024 and 2025 · Best Venue years →
Years to skip, in detail
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Hyundai years to buy?
By model: Sonata 2019; Tucson 2008, 2009 and 2010; Sonata Hybrid 2022; Veloster 2017 and 2020; Palisade 2024 and 2025; Kona 2024 and 2025; Venue 2024 and 2025. Each matches that model's own best-years page, built from NHTSA owner-complaint and recall records.
Which Hyundai years should I skip?
By model: Sonata 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017; Tucson 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025; Santa Fe 2008, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2022, 2023 and 2024; Elantra 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2020; Sonata Hybrid 2012 and 2016; Veloster 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016; Palisade 2020, 2021 and 2022; Kona 2018, 2019 and 2020; Venue 2020, 2021 and 2022. The full breakdown is on the Hyundai years-to-avoid page.
How are the best Hyundai years chosen?
Each model year's NHTSA owner complaints are weighted for severity, converted to a rate per year on the road and compared with the rest of that model's own history; the lowest rates among years with enough road time earn "best". Models not yet scored that way are ranked by combined NHTSA complaint and manufacturer service-bulletin volume. Full method at /research/years-to-avoid/methodology.